Cassette cleaner having both capstan and pinch roller elements

ABSTRACT

Device for cleaning a head assembly (12) of a magnetic tape player and/or recorder with a cleaning solution. The device includes a housing (14) adapted to be inserted in the player/recorder in a cleaning position, a drive mechanism (18) and wiper and (16) connected within the housing (14) for providing oscillating movement, and a cleaning head (20) connected to the wiper arm (16) for cleaning the head assembly (12). The cleaning head (20) comprises a rigid body (82) having a plurality of cleaning materials (84, 86, 88) extending forwardly out of the rigid body (82). One of the cleaning materials is a solution-holding material (84) characterized by its ability to absorb a cleaning solution, for spreading the cleaning solution on the head assembly (12). Another cleaning material (86, 88) comprising a relatively stiffer material for scrubbing the head assembly, is positioned on both sides of the solution-holding material (84). In use, the drive mechanism (18) within the housing is driven by the tape player and/or recorder such that it moves the wiper arm (16) with the attached cleaning head (20) back and forth along a transverse path on the head assembly (12) to be cleaned as it both spreads a cleaning solution and scrubs the area clean. The device also includes a cleaning cartridge (150) for cleaning the drive capstan and pinch roller of the associated player/recorder. The cleaning cartridge is provided with a first cleaning pad (154) for cleaning the pinch roller and a second cleaning pad (156) for cleaning the drive capstan. The cleaning cartridge pivots so that it does not blow the invention of the device into the player/recorder and to ensure the drive capstan and pinch roller are properly cleaned.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.07/977,126 filed Nov. 16, 1992.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a cleaning device for a playing headof a magnetic tape player and/or recorder unit and, more particularly,to an apparatus for spreading solution and wiping clean the guidancetrack and head member(s) of a cassette player and/or recorder unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Particle build-up on head assemblies of magnetic tape players and/orrecorder units has been a problem addressed in the past. As magnetictape passes over a surface, magnetic particles from the tape and otherdebris may be deposited on the surface of the head. The particles buildup, eventually degrading the signal produced by the head member. Typicalapproaches to cleaning such devices have involved using a cassettecleaning tape, with or without a cleaning solution, that runs over thehead assembly to be cleaned, or using a cleaning cassette having anoscillating motion wiper arm and cleaning pad within its homing. Theproblem with these devices is their inability to penetrate and cleansmall crevices and corners so as to completely remove particulate matterfrom the entire area of the head assembly. This problem is particularlyacute with a digital compact cassette (DCC) player and/or recorder wherea guidance track is employed for accurate alignment of the tape as itpasses over the head member. The guidance track and head member assemblyhas numerous spaced-apart comers and crevices. So far, it has proveddifficult to clean these portions of the player and/or recorder headassemblies with conventional cleaning devices.

One well-known cleaning device is a cassette loaded with a short lengthof mildly abrasive cleaning tape that has a greater thickness than thatof normal recording tape. This cleaning tape is sometimes used with acleaning solution applied to the tape. It is used by inserting thecleaning tape within the cassette player and/or recorder unit, andactivating the play mode such that the abrasive tape runs over the headmember. This method does not clean inside small corners and crevices inwhich particulate matter builds up sufficiently to eventually become aproblem.

Other prior art devices employ a wiper arm within a cassette-likehousing. The wiper arm pivotally moves within the housing, causing areciprocating motion of a pad at the end of the wiper arm to clean thehead member. A cleaning solution may also be applied to the pad forimproved cleaning ability. This device also has the problem of not beingable to reach and clean in fight corners and crevices and, therefore,does not effectively address the problem of particulate matter build-upin those areas. The pad also is not especially effective in cleaning aDCC player and/or recorder unit, because it can easily hang up whencleaning around the guideposts and track.

In consideration of the limitations of the devices disclosed in theprior art discussed above, it seems apparent that an effective solutionto the problem of cleaning the corners and crevices of a cassette playerand/or recorder head assembly, especially a DCC guidance track and headunit, is not currently known. Accordingly, the present invention wasdeveloped, and it provides significant advantages over the prior artdevices for cleaning magnetic tape players and/or recorder heads and thearea or guidance track around them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, apparatus for cleaning a headassembly of a magnetic tape player and/or recorder with a cleaningsolution is provided that comprises a housing adapted to be inserted ina magnetic tape player and/or recorder in a cleaning position, a drivemechanism connected within the housing for causing a wiper arm tooscillate, and a cleaning head connected to the wiper arm for cleaningthe head assembly. The cleaning head includes a section of absorbentmaterial for holding and spreading a cleaning solution on the headassembly and scrubbing brushes, separate from the absorbent-materialsection, for scrubbing the head assembly. The scrubbing brushes aredisposed on both sides of the absorbent material section so as to passover the head assembly during oscillatory movement before and after theabsorbent material section.

In accordance with a particular aspect of this invention, the scrubbingbrushes are made up of bristles that are stiff relative to the absorbentmaterial.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, in one particularembodiment, the drive mechanism and wiper arm are designed to move thecleaning head over a path to cover the track and head member assembly ofa DCC player and/or recorder.

In a preferred form, the absorbent material section comprises a feltpad, characterized by its ability to absorb a cleaning solution, forspreading cleaning solution in the general area to be cleaned. Both thescrubbing brushes and the felt pad are held by a rigid body next to eachother, the felt pad being disposed between two sections of scrubbingmaterial bristles.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, at least onepivotable cartridge, having at least one capstan and pinch rollercleaning pad, is provided for cleaning the pinch rollers and capstans ofmagnetic tape players and/or recorders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomesbetter understood by reference to the following detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the invention, illustrating the internalworkings of the cassette cleaning device in a position directly opposedto the head assembly to be cleaned;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention, illustrating movement of thedrive mechanism and wiper arm assembly in cleaning a head assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a DCC player and/or recorder head andguidance track arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a cleaninghead of the present invention, illustrating a brush-pad-brusharrangement;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a cleaninghead of the present invention, illustrating a bristle-carpettuft-bristle arrangement;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of acleaning head of the invention, illustrating an interspersed bristlearrangement;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment of acleaning head of the invention, illustrating a stiff-soft-stiff bristlearrangement;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a portion of the invention, illustrating thecapstan and pinch roller cleaning cartridge;

FIG. 9A and 9B are top views of a portion of the invention, illustratingan alternative capstan and pinch roller cleaning cartridge; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view of one of the cleaning pads employed in thecapstan and pinch roller cleaning cartridge of FIGS. 9A and 9B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of a cassette cleaning device 10 is illustratedin FIG. 1. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a head assembly 12 of a DCCplayer and/or recorder. Cassette cleaning device 10 includes a housing14, a wiper arm 16, a drive mechanism 18, a cleaning head 20, and a pairof capstan and pinch roller cleaning cartridges 21.

Housing 14 is shown in FIG. 1 in a cleaning position opposite thephantom view of head assembly 12. A forward side 22 of housing 14 faceshead assembly 12. Housing 14 is cassette-like in configuration and size,such that it will fit within a typical DCC player and/or recorder. Thishousing 14, in addition to forward end 22, has a rearward side 24, rightand left sides 26 and 28, respectively, and top and bottom sides 30 and32, respectively. For purposes of illustration, the top side of housing14 has been partially cut away in FIG. 1.

Wiper arm 16 is slidably disposed within housing 14. Wiper arm 16 has alongitudinal axis that runs perpendicular to forward side 22 of housing14. A forward end portion 34 of wiper arm 16 is disposed transversely atthe center and longitudinally near forward side 22 of housing 14.Forward end portion 34 includes a box-shaped receiving portion 36configured to receive and securely hold cleaning head 20. Receivingportion 36 opens in the direction of forward side 22. Thus, whencleaning head 20 is inserted within receiving portion 36 of forward endportion 34, it faces forward side 22 and head assembly 12. Receivingportion 36 is flexible enough to allow insertion and removal of cleaninghead 20 and stiff enough to hold cleaning head 20 securely when thedevice is in use.

Wiper arm 16 includes a spring portion 38 which comprises right flexiblemember 40 and left flexible member 42. Right flexible member 40 extendsfrom the rear of forward end portion 34 in a direction generallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of wiper arm 16, toward rightside 26 of housing 14. In a similar manner, left flexible member 42extends from the rear of forward end portion 34, toward left side 28, ina direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of wiperarm 16.

The ends of right and left flexible members 40, 42 that are notconnected to forward end portion 34 are connected to a mounting portion44. Mounting portion 44 includes a right support member 46, a leftsupport member 48, and a main support member 50. Right and left supportmembers 46, 48 are connected to right and left flexible members 40, 42,respectively. Main support member 50 interconnects right and leftsupport members 46, 48 near the center of cassette cleaning device 10.Right and left support members 46, 48 run generally parallel to rightand left flexible members 40, 42. At far right and far left ends 47, 49of support members 46, 48, right and left support member posts 52, 54are located. Right and left support member posts 52, 54 extend belowright and left support members 46, 48, respectively. Right and lefttransverse slots 56, 58 are formed in bottom side 32 of housing 14 toreceive, in a slidable fashion, right and left support member posts 52,54, respectively. Right and left transverse slots 56, 58, which areformed as an integral part of bottom side 32 of housing 14, compriseoblong-shaped, raised ridges running in a direction parallel to forwardside 22 of housing 14. The length of transverse slots 56, 58 issufficient to allow movement of cleaning head 20 back and forth overhead assembly 12 as described below. Main support member 50 extends in adirection parallel to the longitudinal access of wiper arm 16 towardrearward side 24 of housing 14. Main support member 50 has alongitudinal slot 60 formed also parallel to the longitudinal access ofwiper arm 16. Longitudinal slot 60 is also oblong in shape. The lengthof longitudinal slot 60 is substantially the same as that of transverseslots 56, 58.

Drive mechanism 18 comprises a drive wheel 62, a driven wheel 64 and afollower wheel 66 (when the magnetic tape player and/or recorder isrunning in a forward direction--when run in reverse direction, drivewheel 62 and follower wheel 66 exchange functions). Drive wheel 62 andfollower wheel 66 are positioned to receive drive spindles of a magnetictape player and/or recorder and have interior teeth 68 to operativelyengage the spindles. Drive wheel 62 and follower wheel 66 also haveexterior gear teeth 70. Driven wheel 64 has exterior driven teeth 72that are the same size as exterior gear teeth 70. Driven wheel 64 ispositioned between drive wheel 62 and follower wheel 66 such thatexterior gear teeth 70 of drive wheel 62 and follower wheel 66 intermeshwith exterior driven teeth 72 of driven wheel 64. Driven wheel 64 istransversely centered and longitudinally offset toward rearward side 24within housing 14, such that its center is rearwardly offset from drivewheel 62 and follower wheel 66. A wheel mounting post 74 rotatablyconnects driven wheel 64 to bottom side 32 of housing 14. Wheel mountingpost 74 extends from bottom side 32 of housing 14 to engage in arotatable fashion with a center hole 75 formed in driven wheel 64. Wheelmounting post 74 extends only up through driven wheel 64 until almostflush with a top face 78 of driven wheel 64. A bottom face 76 (notshown) of driven wheel 64 lies flat against bottom side 32 of housing14. A drive post 80, offset from a center of driven wheel 64, protrudesfrom top face 78 of driven wheel 64. Off-center positioning of drivepost 80 is such that an outside edge 81 of drive post 80 is the samedistance away from the center of driven wheel 64 as the distance thatcleaning head 20 is to move relative to head assembly 12 duringoscillating movement of the cleaning head, as described below. Drivepost 80 is slidably engaged within longitudinal slot 60.

Cleaning head 20 includes rigid body 82, a centrally located spreadingmaterial 84, and right and left scrubbing materials 86, 88. Cleaninghead 20 is removably attached to forward end portion 34 of wiper arm 16by friction mounting rigid body 82 within receiving portion 36 of wiperarm 16. Spreading and scrubbing materials 84, 86, 88 are held within andprotrude from rigid body 82 toward forward side 22 of housing 14.Cleaning head 20 may be removed from cassette cleaning device 10 bypulling rigid body 82 from receiving portion 36.

FIG. 2 illustrates how movement of drive wheel 62 causes cleaning head20 to move along a transverse path to clean head assembly 12. Becausedrive mechanism 18 includes follower wheel 66, cassette cleaning device10 is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis extending from the middle ofrearward side 24 to forward side 22. This symmetry allows cassettecleaning device 10 to be utilized with top side 30 facing either up ordown. It should be understood that if cassette cleaning device 10 isused with top side 30 facing down, follower wheel 66 operatively engageswith a driving spindle of the player and/or recorder to drive drivenwheel 64 and so on. With top side 30 facing up, the drive spindle thatis operatively engaged to drive wheel 62 turns drive wheel 62 in acounterclockwise direction, and gear teeth 70 cause the rotation ofdriven wheel 64 in a clockwise direction about wheel mounting post 74.Drive post 80, being connected to top face 78 of driven wheel 64, alsorotates in a clockwise direction. Because drive post 80 is offset fromthe center of driven wheel 64, drive post 80 moves in a circular patharound wheel mounting post 74. Since drive post 80 is slidably engagedwithin longitudinal slot 60, rotation of drive post 80 causes wiper arm16 to move either left or right, depending on the location and directionof movement of drive post 80. Right and left support member posts 46, 48are operatively engaged in right and left transfer slots 56, 58respectively. Thus, wiper arm 16 only moves in a transverse direction,i.e., a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal access of wiper arm16.

For the position and direction of rotation of drive post 80 shown inFIG. 2, wiper arm 16 is at its left-most position and is about to begintravel in a direction toward right side 26 of housing 14. The phantomview of wiper arm 16 in FIG. 2 illustrates the positioning at theright-most location of wiper arm 16. Thus, the extreme positions ofcleaning head 20, which is attached to wiper arm 16, are also shown inFIG. 2. In those extreme positions, it is seen that spreading material84 reaches the furthest extent of head assembly 12. In the extreme leftposition, right scrubbing material 86 does not quite reach the left-mostportion of head assembly 12 and vice versa. This reach limitation is notdetrimental, since the other of scrubbing materials 86 or 88 passes overthe extreme portion of the head assembly, both before and after thatportion is covered by spreading material 84.

As cleaning head 20 passes over head assembly 12, spreading material 84and fight and left scrubbing materials 86, 88 deflect slightly becauseof contact with head assembly 12. Right and left flexible members 40, 42also deflect slightly, relieving some pressure on cleaning head 20 sothat spreading and scrubbing materials 84, 86, 88 do not become hung upon head assembly 12, causing the cassette player and/or recorder tostop. Providing force on cleaning head 20 so that scrubbing materials86, 88 are pushed and slightly deflect against head assembly 12 enablesscrubbing materials 86, 88 to reach into corners and crevices of headassembly 12 as they pass over head assembly 12. Still another advantageof the wiper arm 16 of this invention is that it can be selectivelypositioned inside housing 14 to accurately control the mount of pressurecleaning head 20 applies to the player and/or recorder head assembly 12.More specifically, the selective forward or rearward positioning offlexible members 40, 42 and the support posts 52, 54 and complementarymounting slots 56, 58 and the dimensioning of forward end portion 34 ofwiper arm 16 can be used to increase or decrease the pressure thecleaning head 20 applies to the head assembly 12. Since the resiliencyof flexible members 40, 42 does not significantly deteriorate over time,the mount of pressure cleaning head 20 applies to the head assembly 12remains relatively constant over the lifetime of the cassette cleaningdevice 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates head assembly 12 of a digital cassette player and/orrecorder. This type of head assembly poses significant problems forprior art cleaning cassettes because of the length of area to becleaned, the corners and crevices involved, and the detrimental effecton sound quality of any particulate matter that remains on the headassembly. As shown in FIG. 3, head assembly 12 includes a read/writehead 90, located centrally, and a tape guidance track 92 that accuratelyaligns a tape over read/write head 90. Tape guidance track 92 includesupper and lower tape guide posts 94, arched floor members 96, and fiatfloor members 98. In playing or recording a magnetic tape passes over anarea on head assembly 12 between tape guide posts 94 and over archedfloor members 96, flat floor members 98, and read/write head 90. Headassembly mounting structure 100 secures tape guidance track 92 andinterfaces with the rest of the DCC player and/or recorder.

The geometry of head assembly 12 shown in FIG. 3 reveals many challengesto performing a proper cleaning by use of a cassette cleaning device.Many corners, crevices and protrusions on the head assembly mayinterfere with the operation of the cassette cleaning device or may behard for the cassette cleaner to access and clean. Crevices 124, 125,126, 127 are defined between tape guide posts 94 and arched floormembers 96. There are also small crevices 128, 129 between arched floormembers 96 and flat floor members 98. Abrupt corners 131, 132 betweenflat floor members 98 and read/write head 90 can also present a placefor particulate matter to accumulate. For example, in some DCC headassemblies the guide posts 94 may be spaced approximately fourmillimeters from the read/write head and the assembly may have anoverall width of twelve millimeters. These are all places that thecurrent cassette cleaning devices do not adequately clean. The cassettecleaning device 10 of the present invention has a distinct advantageover other devices in cleaning these problem areas. The presentinvention has the advantage of moving through a transverse cleaning pathwithout causing a pendulum-like swing that would pull away at the endsof a track. Due to the broad width of the strictly translationalmovement by cleaning head 20 perpendicular to the longitudinal access ofwiper arm 16, cassette cleaning device 10 is able to clean all of theabove-mentioned problem areas along the entire width of the headassembly.

In the description below, the letters "a," "b," "c," and "d" will beused with the reference numerals for equivalent elements to distinguishbetween the different embodiments in which those elements appear.

FIG. 4 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of a cleaning head 20a.Cleaning head 20a comprises a rigid body 82a, a pad 84a, right bristles86a, and left bristles 88a. Rigid body 82a is box-shaped and molded ofplastic. It includes a forward face 102a and a ridge 104a surroundingforward face 102a. Rigid body 82a is sized to be held within receivingportion 36 of wiper arm 16. Ridge 104a remains outside of receivingportion 36 so that forward face 102a is opposite forward side 22 ofhousing 14. Rigid body 82a also includes rigid body opening 106a shapedto accept pad 84a. Rigid body opening 106a is shaped to match a rearwardpad portion 108a of pad 84a. Pad 84a comprises a felt-like materialcharacterized by its ability to absorb a hydrocarbon cleaning solutionand has a parallelepiped shape that protrudes from forward face 102a ofrigid body 82a so as to contact head assembly 12 when cassette cleaningdevice 10 is in use. The width of pad 84a is sized to fit between tapeguide posts 94 of head assembly 12. Right and left bristles 86a, 88acomprise filaments that are stiff relative to pad 84a. Right and leftbristles 86a, 88a are formed in vertical columns of three on either sideof pad 84a and are held within rigid body 82a by being molded with theplastic of rigid body 82a.

Cleaning head 20a has numerous advantages over prior art cleaningcassettes. Since left and right bristles 86a, 88a comprise relativelystiff, yet flexible filaments, they can deflect over high points, yettend to reach within corners and crevices of head assembly 12. Pad 84ais wide enough to spread a cleaning solution on areas of tape guidancetrack 92 as needed, but not so wide as to hang up on tape guide posts94. Pad 84a does not extend as far outwardly of forward face 102a as dobristles 86a, 88a, and thus does not catch on any abrupt corners;however, the pad still spreads enough cleaning solution for properscrubbing with bristles 86a, 88a. Right and left bristles 86a, 88aspread the cleaning solution laid down by pad 84a, into the corners andcrevices and clean particulate matter from these places. To accomplishthis task, bristles 86a, 88a are slightly longer and stiffer than pad84a, as discussed above.

An alternate embodiment of a cleaning head 20b is shown in FIG. 5. Theembodiment shown in FIG. 5 is similar to that described above andillustrated in FIG. 4, except in those aspects described below. Cleaninghead 20b comprises a rigid body 82b, a carpet-tuft material 84b, andscrubbing bristles 86b, 88b. In this embodiment, rigid body 82b is madeof molded plastic that forms a four-sided cavity having walls 112b and afloor 110b. As in the previous embodiment, cleaning head 20b alsoincludes a ridge 104b and a forward face 102b. A rigid-body opening 106baccepts a carpet-tuft substrate 114b, and left and right bristle holders116b, 118b. Carpet tuft substrate 114b is secured to floor 110b in thecavity of rigid body 82b. Carpet-tuft material 84b extends fromcarpet-tuft substrate 114b at a middle portion of rigid body 82b. Leftand right bristle holders 116b, 118b are secured within rigid body walls112b on the outside of carpet-tuft material 84b. Left and right bristleholders 116b, 118b are formed from molded plastic with scrubbingbristles 86b, 88b held within them. Left and right bristle holders 116b,118b are inserted within walls 112b, with their ends bottoming againstcarpet-tuft substrate 114b, which covers entire floor 110b. In thisarrangement, left and right bristle holders 116b, 118b have left andright bristle holder faces 120b, 122b that are flush with forward face102b.

The functioning of this alternate embodiment of the cleaning head issimilar to that of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, as describedabove. However, carpet-tuft material 84b is more like the scrubbingbristles 88b, in that it bends and conforms to corners and crevices.Thus, the distance carpet-tuft material 84b protrudes from forward face102b is about equal to that of scrubbing bristles 86b, 88b.

Another alternate embodiment of a cleaning head 20c is illustrated inFIG. 6. A rigid body 82c is formed that is the same as that describedabove in relation to FIG. 5. The principal difference between thisembodiment and the others is that the present embodiment includeswicking filaments 84c, which are interspersed with scrubbing filaments86c, and all filaments 84c, 86c are connected to a filament substrate114c. Filaments 84c, 86c are interspersed and run wall-to-wall withinrigid body 82c. Filament substrate 114c is glued to a floor 110c. Thelength of filaments 84c, 86c are such that they protrude from a forwardface 102c of rigid body 82c sufficiently to contact head assembly 12when in use.

Mother alternate embodiment of a cleaning head 20d is illustrated inFIG. 7. In this embodiment, a rigid body 82d is molded integrally withscrubbing bristles 86d, 88d, and absorbent bristles 84d. Absorbentbristles 84d are characterized by their ability to wick a cleaningsolution for application to head assembly 12. Scrubbing bristles 86d,88d are stiff relative to absorbent bristles 84d and are for scrubbinghead assembly 12 free of any particulate matter. Scrubbing bristles 86d,88d and absorbent bristles 84d are aligned in vertical columns that spanan area to be cleaned on head assembly 12. As in previously describedembodiments, these scrubbing bristles 86d, 88d and absorbent bristles84d protrude from a forward face 102d of rigid body 82d such that theycontact head assembly 12 when cassette cleaning device 10 is used.

All of the above-described cleaning head embodiments 20a-d share severalimportant advantages. They spread a cleaning solution over all areas oftape guidance track 92 that should be cleaned. While doing so, they alsoscrub any foreign matter from the corners and crevices with the bristlescomprising scrubbing material 86a-d. The embodiments also share theadvantages of spreading materials 84a-d, which are characterized bytheir ability to absorb a hydrocarbon cleaning solution. Thus, thesofter, more absorbent material is used for spreading the solution, anda stiffer, more penetrating material is used for scrubbing, therebybenefiting from the advantages of both types of materials. Oscillatingmechanism 18 of the invention also provides the advantage of back andforth movement without cleaning head 20a-d losing contact with the areato be cleaned. Also, because scrubbing bristles 86a-d, 88a-d arefilaments, they do not hang up on any protrusions or corners whilecleaning head assembly 12. Still another advantage of this invention isthat the stiffer bristles 86 scrub the crevices 124-127 adjacent theguide posts 94, especially the bottom-located crevices 124 and 126, sothat dirt does does not accumulate. This ensures that the bottom of thetape that passes over the guide track 92 properly seats at the bases ofthe bottom located guide posts 94 so that the tape is properlypositioned over the read/write head 90.

FIG. 8 illustrates a preferred embodiment of cleaning cartridge 21. Itshould be understood that a mirror image of this cartridge 21 isdisposed within housing 14 on the opposite side of cleaning head 20 asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Cartridge 21 is employed within cassettecleaning device 10 to clean a capstan 134 and a pinch roller 136 of acassette player and/or recorder. Cartridge 21 is pivotally attached tohoming 14 about a pivot post 138. Pivot post 138 is formed as part ofhousing 14 and preferably extends from bottom side 32 of housing 14.Alternatively, pivot post 138 is made up of shorter posts extending fromboth bottom side 32 and top side 30 opposite each other. Cartridge 21includes a post receiving portion 140 that is shaped as a portion of acylinder to snap over pivot post 138. Cartridge 21 also includes acapstan pad receiving portion 142 and a pinch roller pad receivingportion 144. Capstan pad 146 is held within capstan pad receivingportion 142. Pinch roller pad 148 is held within pinch roller padreceiving portion 144.

Cartridge 21 has an overall shape in the form of the letter "C" withpinch roller pad 148 at one end and capstan pad 146 at the other end.Post receiving portion 140 is disposed at the back side of the C-shapedcartridge 21 and pivots about pivot post 138 such that pressure on pinchroller pad 148 from pinch roller 136 causes see-saw motion such thatpressure is applied between capstan pad 146 and capstan 134 and viceversa.

Cartridge foot 143 is disposed on an outside end of pinch roller padreceiving portion 144. Cartridge foot 143 provides a contact point tostop excessive rotation of cartridge 21 in a counterclockwise direction(clockwise for cartridge 21 disposed on the other side of cassettecleaning device 10) when not placed within a cassette player and/orrecorder. If, for example, cartridge 21 were to rotate counterclockwise,it would eventually contact a ridge 152 of housing 14. Cartridge foot143 also provides a convenient tab against which a tool may by insertedto pry and pop cartridge 21 off pivot post 138 for replacement of pads146, 148 or entire cartridge 21. A stop member 145 is also disposedbehind cartridge 21 on the opposite side to limit rotation in aclockwise direction (counterclockwise for cartridge 21 disposed on theother side of cassette cleaning device 10). Stop member 145 ispreferably an integral part of housing 14. Other means could be used tolimit rotation of cartridge 21, such as a vane extension on a rearwardfacing side of pivot post 138 that would contact post receiving portion140 to check excessive rotation in either direction.

The advantage of limited rotation of cartridge 21 is that it preventsthe cartridge from rotating into the pathway of capstan 134 which canthen block insertion of cassette cleaning device 10 into the playerand/or recorder.

Prior to the cassette cleaning device 10 being inserted in the playerand/or recorder, pads 146 and 148 are impregnated with a cleaningsolution. When cassette cleaning device 10 is inserted in the playerand/or recorder, and the player and/or recorder is actuated, pinchroller 136 moves against capstan 134. This causes pinch roller 136 toabut against pad 144 and pivot cartridge 21. The movement of cartridge21, in turn, forces pad 146 against capstan 134. Consequently, ascapstan 134 and pinch roller 136 rotate, they are cleaned by thesolution on pads 146 and 144, respectively.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an alternative capstan and pinch rollercleaning cartridge 150. Cleaning cartridge 150 includes a body 152 towhich two felt cleaning pads 154 and 156 are secured. A spring arm 158attached to the cartridge body 152 biases the cleaning cartridge 150 sothat, when it is in the static state, cleaning pad 154 is disposed awayfrom the opening 160 in the device housing 14 through which the drivecapstan 134 extends into the device 10.

The cleaning cartridge 150 is pivotally secured inside the cleaningdevice 10. Specifically, the cartridge body 152 is pivotally secured totwo relatively short pins 162 that extend inward from the top and bottomsides 30 and 32, respectively, of the device housing 14. (FIGS. 9A and9B only illustrate the pin 162 that extends upward from the insidesurface of the bottom side 32 of the device housing). The cartridge body152 is formed with a C-shaped slot 164 that allows the body to besnap-fitted over the pins 162.

Cartridge body 152 is further formed with a set of rectangular slots166, 168, and 170 in which the cleaning pads 145 and 156 are seated.Cleaning pad 154 is located in slot 166, which is located on the side ofthe cartridge body 152 adjacent the center of the cleaning device 10.Cleaning pad 154 has a generally rectangular profile and is seated inthe slot 166 so that one end of the pad extends away from the cartridgebody 152. The opposed ends of cleaning pad 156 are seated in slots 168and 170. Specifically, slot 168 is formed in the cartridge body 152adjacent slot 164. Slot 170 is formed in the distal end of the cartridgebody 152 adjacent the side edge of the cleaning device 10. Cleaning pad156, as depicted in FIG. 10, has a T-shaped profile such that it has arelatively wide section, the end of which is fitted in slot 168, and arelatively narrow section, the end of which is fitted to slot 170. Theportion of cleaning pad 156 between the end sections is located adjacentthe outer surface of the cartridge body 152. Since the adjacent portionof the cartridge body 152 is formed with a curved surface, the abuttingsection of cleaning pad 156 curves around the outside of the cartridgebody.

The spring arm 158 is integrally attached to the cartridge body 152adjacent the portion of the body that defines the C-shaped slot 164. Thespring arm 158 has a generally J-shaped structure that curves away fromthe portion of the cassette body 152 that defines slot 164 and towardthe portion of the body that defines slot 170. A vertically oriented bar174 is attached to the distal end of the spring arm 158. The outer endsof the spring arm bar 174 abut raised ridges 176 formed on the insidesurfaces of the top and bottom sides 30 and 32 of the device housing 14,one ridge shown. The ridges 176 have a generally linear shape adjacentthe side of the device housing 14 and a curved profile adjacent themounting posts 162.

When the cleaning device 10 is in its normal state, outside of the tapeplayer/recorder in which it is used, the spring arm 158 biases thecartridge body 152 so that the cleaning device is rotated around thepins 162 toward the center of the cleaning device, clockwise in FIG. 9A.This rotation of the cleaning cartridge 150 displaces cleaning pad 154so that it is located away from the center of the drive capstan opening160, to the left of the center of the opening 160 in FIG. 9A. When thecleaning device 10 is placed in the associated tape player/recorder andthe player/recorder is actuated, the pinch roller 136 moves inwardtoward the cleaning cartridge 150. The pinch roller 136 then abuts theexposed surface of cleaning pad 156 to, in turn, cause the cleaningcartridge 150 to rotate counterclockwise around the pins 162 as depictedin FIG. 9B. The rotation of the cleaning cartridge 150 displacescleaning pad 154 so that the pad is disposed against the drive capstan134.

An advantage of the cleaning cartridge 150 of this invention is that thespring arm 158 normally biases cleaning pad 145 away from the drivecapstan opening 160 formed in the device housing 14. This prevents theplayer/recorder's drive capstan 134 from displacing the cleaning pad 145when the cleaning device 10 is inserted in the player/recorder.Moreover, the pivoting of the cleaning cartridge 150, upon the actuationof the player/recorder, causes the cleaning pad 154 to abut against thedrive capstan 134 to ensure that the capstan is properly cleaned. Stillanother feature of the cleaning cartridge 150 of this invention is thatthe cartridge is snap fitted around the posts 162 inside the devicehousing 14. This makes it possible to replace the cartridge 150installed in the device 10 in order to periodically provide the devicewith new cleaning pads 145 and 156.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, along with several alternative embodiments, it will beappreciated that various other changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, whilethe cleaning head 20 has been described as having a pad capable ofholding a cleaning solution and a set of bristles that have scrubbingcapabilities, in alternative embodiments of the invention, the cleaninghead may have only one set of bristles for dry scrubbing the recorderhead assembly. In other versions of the invention, it may be desirableto provide the cleaning head with three or more different types ofbristles and cleaning pads. Still other versions of the invention may beprovided where there is only a single support member post-guide slotassembly for controlling the motion of the wiper arm. Therefore, it isthe object of the appended claims to cover all such modifications andvariations within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. Apparatus for cleaning apinch roller and capstan of a magnetic tape player/recorder comprising:ahousing adapted to be inserted in the tape player/recorder in a cleaningposition, said housing defining an opening for receiving the drivecapstan of the player/recorder; and a cleaning cartridge including: acartridge body pivotally mounted in said housing adjacent said drivecapstan opening; a first cleaning pad secured to said cartridge body andpositioned to abut the drive capstan of the player/recorder when thedrive capstan is disposed in said drive capstan opening of said housing;a second cleaning pad secured to said cartridge body and positioned toabut the pinch roller such that contact of the pinch roller against saidsecond cleaning pad moves said first cleaning pad into contact with thecapstan; and a biasing member coupled to said cartridge body, saidbiasing member positioned to contact said housing to pivot saidcartridge body so that said first cleaning pad is normally located awayfrom the center of said housing drive capstan opening.
 2. The cleaningassembly of claim 1, wherein said cleaning cartridge biasing member is aspring arm integrally attached to said cartridge body.
 3. The cleaningassembly of claim 1, wherein said cartridge body is releasably,pivotally secured to said housing.
 4. The cleaning assembly of claim 1,wherein said housing is provided with at least one mounting pin and saidcartridge body is releasably secured to said at least one mounting pin.5. The cleaning assembly of claim 1, wherein said cartridge body isformed with a first slot and said first cleaning pad is partially seatedin said first cartridge body slot.
 6. The cleaning assembly of claim 5,wherein said cartridge body is formed with second and third slots, afirst end of said second cleaning pad is partially secured in saidsecond cartridge body slot, a second end of said second cleaning pad issecured in said third cartridge body slot, and said cartridge body isshaped so that an exposed portion of said second cleaning pad betweensaid ends of said cleaning pad abuts the pinch roller of the tapeplayer/recorder.
 7. The cleaning assembly of claim 6 wherein saidhousing is provided with at least one mounting pin and said cartridgebody is releasably secured to said at least one mounting pin.